Ironweed (Veronia altissima) is the purple flowers you see growing on a tall, slender stalk in pasture and hay fields while driving down the road. It seems particularly plentiful this year.

Everyone has a favorite car. Mine was the 1963 Chevrolet Bel Air. It was in 1970 when this treasure came into my life. It was four door, two tone pale green and pale yellow and covered with rust. I paid $200.00 for it. We only had a Ford F100 pickup at the time. I needed a car to drive to my new job at the school. Since I was a new bus driver, I could not take my bus home, so I needed transportation to and from the school.

I should have written about this cake back in the spring when daffodils were in bloom. It’s called “Daffodil Cake” because of its white and yellow color. But why can’t we call it a “Chrysanthemum Cake”? They are yellow, too. That would be in keeping with the Autumn season.

Have you ever heard of a Daffodil Cake? It is not an angel food cake. It has egg yolks in it. It’s not a chiffon cake either. It doesn’t have any oil. Nope. It’s in a class by itself.

At first glance, Snow Cone Eddie’s shaved ice trailer may look like any other roadside vendor. But trust me, if you see the “Ice Castle” trailer on your travels, stop. You won’t be disappointed.

What’s so special about these snow cones? Ask around. Snow Cone Eddie, also known as Eddie Johnson Sr., has been building a following lately, with folks driving clear to other counties to treat themselves to the delicious shaved ice.

Wanda Cox Byerley was all smiles after shopping at Maynardville's newest business, Serena's Surplus & Salvage located at 1402 Maynardville Highway near Little D's. “I even got back change,“ exclaimed Ms. Byerley.

Just when you think it’s safe to enter the Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes, this happens. Stay with me. It’s a long article.

I have a relative (for the purpose of this article we will call him Bill) who was recently scammed out of almost $40,000. Sounds impossible, right? What law-abiding, hard working, money saving senior would not see it coming? Yet fraud happens every day, especially to our senior adults. In fact, the scams are so frequently successful that they are being given names such as “The Senior Lottery, and the PCH scam.” That’s the one that got Bill.

What fond memories I have of Ethel Nicely Cobble! It is hard now to even research my teachers. I know we think, “Oh, I can remember that”, but time slips away and memory fades. In Union County Schoolday Memories, there is a picture of Ethel Nicely as a student at Union School, though it is difficult to clearly identify the rows for a positive identification. Nonetheless, when working on “Schoolday Memories,” I was told that Mrs. Cobble taught many years in Union County Elementary Schools before teaching 31 years at Horace Maynard High School.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018, has approved a plan to expand military veterans’ access to chiropractic’s non-drug approach to pain relief. Many veterans suffer from back pain and other musculoskeletal conditions resulting from their service. Supported by several veterans groups, the approved language calls for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to expand the availability of chiropractic services at no fewer than two medical centers or clinics in each Veterans Integrated Service Network (VLSN) by no later than Dec.

In the world, not of the world! Well, if ever there was an oxymoron contest, that statement must surely take the cake. If you didn’t know the Bible very well, one could think this is a contradiction. How is it possible for human beings to be in the world and not of the world at the same time? Answer: JESUS! As we like to say, that is the short answer. Some people will tell you that is all the answer we need and that we must take it on blind faith that Jesus is the answer. Well, you know what Jesus Himself said about the blind leading the blind. Jesus never demanded blind faith of His disciples or anyone else. As a matter of fact, Jesus encouraged people to ask questions!

Mincey’s Musings
Year One, Week Thirty-Seven

I have been blessed with family on my father’s side that are just humorous people by nature. It’s inbred—they can’t help themselves. What makes them so funny is that they aren’t trying to be funny.